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Chinese Cancer patient faces trial for importing drugs from India
A leukemia patient in China is facing trial for promoting and helping other patients buy a generic drug from India that costs much less than the legally available drugs that can be bought locally, Guangzhou's Southern Weekly reports.
Forty-six-year-old Lu Yong says he owes his life to the generic version of Glivec, a drug developed by the predecessor of Novartis to be used in the treatment of multiple types of cancer, in his case chronic myelogenous leukemia. Lu was diagnosed with the disease in 2002 and began treatment with Glivec before doctors could find a donor for bone marrow transplant, the newspaper said.
He was arrested in November 2013 and indicted the following March for selling counterfeit drugs and for the illegal use of credit cards after spending years on efforts to source cheaper drugs for himself and patients like him in China.
Glivec is an expensive drug, which cost Lu 23,500 yuan (US$3,780) a month when he began taking it in 2002. Lu was among the few people who could afford the drug because he ran his own business.
In June 2004, Lu learnt of a generic version of Glivec manufactured by India's Natco Pharma which cost some 4,000 yuan (US$645) a box. He tried the drug and later shared it with other patients in an online group he set up earlier that year. He also helped these patients buy the drug because of the restrictions involved in wiring money to India and the complicated process.
Another Indian company, Cyno Pharmaceuticals, which worked with Natco and planned to produce its own generic version of Glivec, contacted Lu in 2010 regarding help with sales and promotions in China for free supply of the drug.
To make the payment process simpler, Lu helped set up proxy bank accounts under other people's names, which led to his being investigated and indicted, the report explained.
Lu actually gave up the chance to obtain a bone marrow transplant because he feared the complications involved in the process. He believed that as he helped Cyno, the company would be willing to develop newer medicines for patients developing drug resistance.
Many Chinese patients opted for the Indian drugs, the price of which has dropped to 200 yuan (US$32), even though Chinese companies have begun manufacturing their own generic version when the patent expired in 2013. This is because the Chinese products cost more than 1,000 yuan (US$16), the newspaper noted.
According to the newspaper, while Lu's trial was recently postponed for his treatment, several patients launched a petition calling for him to be acquitted.
Luo Jian, the prosecutor who indicted Lu, told reporters earlier that while he may be seen as a hero in the eyes of the public, his actions constituted crimes punishable under current laws. He also suggested that media outlets push for more comprehensive laws to be introduced by the government in view of Lu's case.
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20141228000102&cid=1503
Chinese Cancer patient faces trial for importing drugs from India
A leukemia patient in China is facing trial for promoting and helping other patients buy a generic drug from India that costs much less than the legally available drugs that can be bought locally, Guangzhou's Southern Weekly reports.
Forty-six-year-old Lu Yong says he owes his life to the generic version of Glivec, a drug developed by the predecessor of Novartis to be used in the treatment of multiple types of cancer, in his case chronic myelogenous leukemia. Lu was diagnosed with the disease in 2002 and began treatment with Glivec before doctors could find a donor for bone marrow transplant, the newspaper said.
He was arrested in November 2013 and indicted the following March for selling counterfeit drugs and for the illegal use of credit cards after spending years on efforts to source cheaper drugs for himself and patients like him in China.
Glivec is an expensive drug, which cost Lu 23,500 yuan (US$3,780) a month when he began taking it in 2002. Lu was among the few people who could afford the drug because he ran his own business.
In June 2004, Lu learnt of a generic version of Glivec manufactured by India's Natco Pharma which cost some 4,000 yuan (US$645) a box. He tried the drug and later shared it with other patients in an online group he set up earlier that year. He also helped these patients buy the drug because of the restrictions involved in wiring money to India and the complicated process.
Another Indian company, Cyno Pharmaceuticals, which worked with Natco and planned to produce its own generic version of Glivec, contacted Lu in 2010 regarding help with sales and promotions in China for free supply of the drug.
To make the payment process simpler, Lu helped set up proxy bank accounts under other people's names, which led to his being investigated and indicted, the report explained.
Lu actually gave up the chance to obtain a bone marrow transplant because he feared the complications involved in the process. He believed that as he helped Cyno, the company would be willing to develop newer medicines for patients developing drug resistance.
Many Chinese patients opted for the Indian drugs, the price of which has dropped to 200 yuan (US$32), even though Chinese companies have begun manufacturing their own generic version when the patent expired in 2013. This is because the Chinese products cost more than 1,000 yuan (US$16), the newspaper noted.
According to the newspaper, while Lu's trial was recently postponed for his treatment, several patients launched a petition calling for him to be acquitted.
Luo Jian, the prosecutor who indicted Lu, told reporters earlier that while he may be seen as a hero in the eyes of the public, his actions constituted crimes punishable under current laws. He also suggested that media outlets push for more comprehensive laws to be introduced by the government in view of Lu's case.
http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20141228000102&cid=1503
